Charmaine Stories

The club sometimes does members profiles, but on friday we had a prospective member profile from Charmaine, who has been a regular at our Breakfast meetings (well.... as regular as she can be with her busy lifestyle).
 
So we learned a few things, (i) that Charmaine is as skilful as any politician you could meet at avoiding the interviewers (Mike) questions and talking about the things she wants to talk about. And Charmaine loves talking about Rotary, she has seen the work that Rotary has done in South Africa and Lesotho and also much nearer home in Australia. 
 
We saw the Hippo Roller video, and the story on how it all started with a contact and an idea and blossomed into a change of lifestyle for hundreds of filks who do not have the benefit of first world sanitation and water supply. 
 
We also learnt that Charmaine is relentless in her Rotary fundraising, even when on a cruise holiday ..but that's another story. 
Mike just checking that he actually asked that question...

Change Over Dinner

Spot the typo in this message? $50 to first correct response, payable tomorrow. 
 

 

I was framed m'lud...

 
A rather nautical Geoff has been framed..
 
Great effort by Geoff and Charmaine on Monday selling 4 raffle books of tickets for the Solstice Swim fundraising.
 
..and we can look forward to these smiling faces in the Sunshine Coast Daily who have also been showcasing the swim..

Rotary International Convention in Texas

Great to be able to bring some good news from Texas where RI's International Convention was being held in Houston

A Rotary first

During the closing session , Rotary International President-elect Jennifer Jones gave members a preview of what she'll be focusing on.

"For the past two years, the most common question I have received is, 'How does it feel to be our first woman president?'" Jones said. "I will confess, I feel a sense of excitement brewing because I believe this opens opportunities for lifting and celebrating each of our diverse perspectives."

"We've all taken a different path to get here," she continued. "Some because your father was a Rotarian, some because an employer tapped you on the shoulder, others because a Supreme Court ruling permitted women to join ... and yet each of us entered through one mechanism — an invitation.

"That is why I am determined to harness diversity, equity, and inclusion to advance this invitation across the Rotary world."

Jones also called on leaders throughout Rotary to be trailblazers, and pledged to continue President Shekhar Mehta's Empowering Girls initiative, which she said "has resonated powerfully around the world."

Other highlights from Houston:

  • The Rotary Presidential Conference Houston: Serve to Bring Peace brought together peacebuilders from around the world to reflect on Rotary's response to conflict this year and reinforce our commitment to creating more peaceful and resilient societies.
  • Rotary's response to the war in Ukraine was acknowledged several times during the convention. Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta praised members for donating millions of dollars to help displaced Ukrainians. "They opened their hearts and homes...I saw from close quarters how Rotarians were caring for them. Seeing was believing," he said.
  • Dr. Olha Paliychuk, a member of the Rotary Club of Cherkasy, Ukraine, thanked Rotary on behalf of the more than 1,000 members in Ukraine. "You have not only donated and shipped medical supplies and other daily essentials to those of us inside Ukraine, but also provided shelter to those who have fled," she said. "Your help has saves lived, giving us hope and inspiring Ukrainians like me to stand up, to help our people, and protect our homeland."
  • Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi spoke about the work of the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation to end the exploitation of children in India and around the world by addressing the inequality, injustice, and discrimination that lie at the core of child labor. Following his remarks, Mehta presented Satyarthi with the Rotary Award of Honor for his advocacy of children's rights globally.
  • Dr. Hamid Jafari, director of polio eradication for the World Health Organization's Eastern Mediterranean Region, shared an update on Rotary's progress in ridding the world of polio. "Through your entrepreneurial spirit, you have energized and inspired other partners to never give up. You are the glue that holds us all together, motivated and accountable," he said. "You have led us from the start of global efforts to eradicate polio, and we will be together at the end of polio."
  • Antoni Slodkowski, a 2003-04 Rotary Youth Exchange student from Poland to Japan, is the 2021-22 recipient of the Rotary Alumni Global Service Award. Slodkowski, Tokyo correspondent for the Financial Times, previously served as a bureau chief for Reuters in Myanmar, where he led coverage of the election of Aung San Suu Kyi and of the military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, receiving the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.
  • Gen. Charles Duke (USAF Ret.) NASA astronaut, Lunar Module Pilot and 10th man to walk on the moon during the Apollo 16 mission, spoke of exploring new horizons.

Scheming?

Val and Mike were spotted by our illustrious photographer deep in conspiracy ...I wonder..
 

Michelle's back..(pun intended..)

..and delighted to see Michelle back on deck and before she heads off overseas...but not to worry...its only for a few months..
 

Swim weather 

The swim is just over a week away...and look at the weather ...yes
 
The swim gear is being printed, and the registrations are coming in (please hurry!!) so all is looking good for a fun Sunday morning. 
 
We'll have our mate Peter from Shelterbox and Val and the team on the raffles, and Councillor Joe Natoli to hand out those amazing trophies by our mate the beautiful Shannon, some amazing swimmers including Alexa Leary (#moveforlex) and I believe some surprise auctions are also on the cards.
 
And don't forget to grab a raffle ticket which carries the bonus of 10% discount on food at the Alex SLSC on swim day.
 
 

Burnside School Mock Interviews and Resume coaching ...Dateclaimer Monday 1st and Tuesday 2nd August

We've received this email from teh Smith Family in regards to a request from Burnside SHS
 
"As we discussed at the VERG Dinner recently, Burnside SHS have provided me with some potential dates for Interviews and Resume Skill workshops for Term 3.
 
They have 6 Year 10 classes and therefore would like to run 6 separate sessions on the following dates:
 
Term 3, Week 4, Monday 1st August Periods 1,2,3 and 4 (between 8:55 am and 2:45 pm) including break times
Term 3, Week 4, Tuesday 2nd August Periods 1 and 2 (between 8:55 am and 11:55 am)
 
** Each period is 70 minutes. 
I know that you talked about a maximum time you think it best for these sessions – was it 40 minutes??  Could we split the class with Interview then resume skills?  I am happy to cover off the other part of the lesson with Resume skills or to discuss how this timeframe would work best.
 
They would like to set up the Student Centre with desks to make it like a proper interview style environment."